Spurs, Thunder sixth men are mirror images

When Spurs coach Gregg Popovich watches film of the guy wearing No. 13 for the Oklahoma City Thunder, he might as well be watching No. 20 for his own team.

James Harden and Manu Ginobili are both crafty, left-handed sixth men of the year capable of changing a game in a single bound.

“In many respects, you’re looking at the same guy,” Popovich said. “They score at the 3-point line. They score at the rim. They pass the ball. They are both excellent at what they do.”

The sixth-man battle should be one of the more intriguing matchups of the Western Conference finals series that opens tonight at the AT&T Center.

Harden, a 22-year-old guard, is averaging 17 points, five rebounds and 3.1 assists since the start of the playoffs. His 29-point night helped Oklahoma City finish off a sweep of Dallas in the first round.

Ginobili, 34, has yet to find a consistent shooting stroke this postseason but has been the catalyst of one of the NBA’s top second units. He has averaged 11.3 points and 4.5 assists in eight playoff games.

The comparison is not lost on either player.

“We’re similar players,” Harden said. “I notice his moves and the way he’s so crafty. So I’m at least kind of familiar with how I can guard him.”

Said Ginobili: “There are some similarities, of course. It’s hard not to see it. It’s going to be fun to play against him.”

Remembering 0.4: Oklahoma City guard Derek Fisher will always be linked to one of the most memorable — or infamous — playoff moments in Spurs history.

Fisher’s desperation 18-footer with 0.4 seconds left lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 74-73 victory in Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference semifinals.

It is a memory Ginobili, the defender nearest Fisher when he made his miracle shot, prefers not to revisit.

Every playoff run for every non-title team includes heartbreak, Ginobili said.

“It was heartbreaking, but every time we lost, there’s something that was heartbreaking,” Ginobili said. “In every playoff series, there is something heartbreaking for one of the teams. I’m pretty sure for the Detroit Pistons (in 2005), it was (Robert) Horry’s 3(-pointer). It happens every single time.”

Many faces of Pop: Like many current or former Spurs, Nazr Mohammed had some tough moments when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich found him lacking. Yet Mohammed, now a backup center for the Thunder, said his most vivid memories of Popovich involve the coach’s sense of humor.

“When I think about Pop, I just smile,” Mohammed said. “He has a lot of facets to his personality. He has his drill-sergeant, get-this-done type of attitude, but then he’s got this laid-back and understanding personality. He’s a multilayered type of guy and he’s really funny.”